Four from B1G are Campbell finalists

There are a lot of college football awards out there, but the William V. Campbell Trophy might be the most valuable.

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame have announced the 16 finalists for the Campbell Trophy that make up the 2013 national scholar-athlete class. One-quarter of that class of 16 hail from the Big Ten.

The finalists were chosen from a pool of 171 semifinalists. To be eligible, candidates must be "a senior or graduate student in their final year of eligibility, have a grade point average of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship." No other FBS conference had more than one Campbell finalist so the Big Ten must be doing something right.

All of the finalists will be honored at a dinner in New York City on Dec. 10, when the Campbell Trophy winner will be announced. And here's the best part: Every finalist will receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship. Now that's a valuable award.